That kid who sat up the front of the class
by countbackwardsfrominfinity
Summary: They were the same, yet different. He sat at the front of the classroom, never looking behind him, head always down as he took notes diligently. She sat at the back with her friends. "Does he ever speak?" Astrid Hofferson asked one day. Modern AU, all character rights go to Dreamworks and Cressida Cowell
1. Chapter 1

They were the same, yet different. Both of them were bright and intelligent people, between the two of them they usually managed to answer all of the questions the teacher threw at them. But he sat at the front of the classroom, never looking behind him, head always down as he took notes diligently. She sat at the back with her friends. He had auburn hair, she was blonde. Neither of them ever got into trouble for talking, him because he never actually spoke except to answer a question, she because she was smart enough to know when to stop talking when her friends got caught for interrupting the lesson.

"Does he ever speak?" Astrid Hofferson asked one day as they walked out of class, and her friends looked at her curiously. There were the twins, Rochelle and Travis, known to her as Ruff and Tuff thanks to their violently loving relationship with each other and their equally volatile hobbies, the gentle giant Frank Ingerman, although he preferred to be called Fishlegs for some reason. Something to do with his favourite character in a movie or a book or something. And Shane Jorgenson. Unfortunately for Shane, he was sometimes known as Snotlout, thanks to a slip of the tongue one day when he had admitted that as a child, he cried a lot. If anyone else called him that, he would beat the crap out of them, but he tolerated it from his friends. And they only called him that when they wanted a rise out of him. She had assumed that he or Fish would know. Fish because he seemed to know everything about anything in the school, and Shane because he was supposedly the mystery boys relative in some way. Second cousin or cousin twice removed or something like that.

"Who are you talking about?" Ruff asked.

"Hiccup." Somewhere in the back of her mind, Astrid wondered how she knew his name. She would remember later that on the first day when the teacher had called attendance, his name had been called as Henry, but he had quietly mentioned that he preferred Hiccup for some reason. That was the only time, besides answering questions, when she could remember him speaking.

"Not that I've heard. Apparently you can count the number of words he says during the day on one hand." Fish said.

"I know he's the son of the head of the school board, but that's it." Shane offered, clearly he could care less. "I met him a few times when I was younger, but I don't remember much of him."

"Too busy crying?" Tuff snickered.

"Fuck you."

"One way to find out." Astrid said, and with that, she walked over to the boy. As she got closer she realised that he was taller than her. She hadn't been able to tell in class because they were always sitting down and she never saw him come in or leave. When she reached him she tapped him on the shoulder, he spun quickly, and she was surprised that he could move so fast. Taking in the new details that were usually hidden to her, she noticed the freckles that appeared sporadically on his face, and his green eyes which spoke volumes about his intelligence and reminded her of the way that author described that boy wizards eyes in one of the books she'd read as a child. At the moment though, those green eyes looked more startled and hesitant than anything else, and in the few seconds before she spoke again, she noticed the way his mouth opened and closed slightly as he searched for something to say.

"Do you ever talk?" More of that opening and closing of his mouth, more rapid now.

"Uh. I-I'm sorry?" He stammered.

"Like, I never hear you talk. Except for when you answer questions before I do."

"I'm sorry. I'll keep more quiet from now on." He was clearly uncomfortable, and Astrid couldn't help but wonder why he had assumed that she was upset with him for answering questions.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I just, wondered why you never talk in class."

"Oh. Um, nothing to say I suppose." Astrid was curious about his behaviour. Everybody else in the class had at least one friend that they could speak to and pass time with, from what she could tell, this boy had nothing. But she wasn't going to come right out and say that to his face.

"Okay, I was just wondering. I won't keep you any longer. I'm Astrid by the way."

"Hiccup." He nodded at her awkwardly before spinning on his heel and walking away, normally Astrid would be a little insulted that someone would end a conversation so abruptly, but for some reason she didn't particularly care this time. Shrugging to herself she hurried to catch up with her friends as they headed towards the cafeteria for lunch.

"So does he speak?" Fish asked.

"Yeah, but only in very short sentences."

* * *

><p><strong>Back at it less than a week after finishing my first fic. I didn't see this coming. But hey, what the hell. I've had a few ideas over the last couple of days, and some of them are coming along well, but I like to focus on one thing at a time. Again, I don't know how long this one will be, could be 5 chapters, could be 50. I'm going to work the plot a little differently in this one too, hoping it all works out again. I will endeavor to keep you all happy. Will I ever get tired of writing about the same characters over and over again? Probably not. As long as you guys are happy to keep reading, I'll keep writing. On a side note. one project I have in mind is a collection of one-shots. I've got a few ideas of my own, and as always, I welcome prompts from you all.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Now that she knew he did actually speak, Astrid began to notice more and more things about Hiccup. He had this habit of tilting his chair back on two legs and twirling his pens between his fingers when he'd finished his notes, which was usually well ahead of everyone else. Nothing out of the ordinary, but just something she picked up. He always wore this stupid green shirt too. Damn it got tiring looking at the same shade of green every day of the week. One time he glanced back at her over his shoulder, for the first time in recorded history. She met his eyes and smiled at him politely, but he quickly reverted his gaze back to the board at the front of the room.

"You got a thing for him or something?" Ruff asked one day, after noticing Astrid glancing at Hiccup yet again.

"No." Astrid replied immediately.

"Sure looks that way to me."

"I barely know him." Astrid argued, careful to keep an eye on the teacher, who was sure to hear them sooner or later.

"I bet you'd like to get to know him." Ruff sniggered, looking down at her paper as the teachers eyes swept over the classroom.

"He's interesting, that's all."

"What, and I'm not?" Scott whispered from the other side of Ruff, leaning forward and looking down the row of tables at Astrid.

"Not at all." Astrid and Ruff replied simultaneously.

* * *

><p>Then Hiccup showed up to class late one day. Another first. He looked flustered and he was slightly red in the face when he finally appeared through the door, muttering a hurried apology to the teacher and taking his seat, carefully placing his bag underneath his desk. The whole lesson he seemed distracted, he took his notes as usual, but for some reason he kept unzipping his bag the tiniest bit, glancing inside and then closing it again. Then when the bell rang, he picked up his stuff and was first out the door before anyone could say anything. And he was the topic of choice at the lunch table later on.<p>

"Hiccup. Late. This never happens." Astrid said as they sat down to whatever it was the school lunch ladies called food.

"Why do you care so much?" Shane asked, his mouth already full.

"It's just weird."

"He's Hiccup." Fish said casually, inspecting his food.

"Well, weird_er." _Astrid answered.

"Maybe he's dealing drugs and got caught up in a deal." Ruff suggested.

"That would explain why he kept glancing into his bag. He was checking his merchandise." Tuff said, catching onto the idea.

"Really? Hiccup. A drug dealer?" Astrid asked incredulously, not sure if the twins were being serious, and she rolled her eyes when Shane offered his opinion.

"It'd sure make sense. That's why he's always quiet. He's constantly stoned."

"This is why you should stick to shifting heavy shit Shane." Astrid said.

"I'll have you know that the gym is a lifestyle choice, not just a past-time." Shane replied, insulted.

"No, he's too bright to be doing anything like that." Fishlegs said sagely, as if he was now the resident expert on student drug dealers.

"Still. It's weird, even for him." Astrid muttered, almost to herself.

* * *

><p>Hiccup was back in class as usual the next day, taking his notes and keeping his head down. Astrid held onto some sort of hope that he'd glance back again just so as she could get an indicator of what was up, but her hope proved to be in vain. Hiccup seemed to have returned to his old habits, speaking only to answer a question, and not getting involved in anything at all. Astrid forgot about him over the weekend, hanging out with Ruff and forcing Tuff to pay for them when they went to the movies, but then Hiccup was late the following Monday. Again. Twice. He'd been late twice now. Astrid didn't advocate prying into other peoples lives, but she had a burning curiosity to know what was happening, and that curiosity mingled with a little bit of concern when she noticed he was moving slower than he normally would. He took his seat at the front of the class gingerly, he stood up slowly at the end of class every day, and once, when she noticed his face, she saw barely disguised pain in his eyes, almost like he was about to cry. Once again, she caught him before he left after class.<p>

"Are you okay?" She asked, genuinely concerned. She might now know him well, but that didn't mean she couldn't worry about him. But he didn't even speak to her this time, only sparing her a quick look and nodding silently before moving past her. She stepped out of his way, not wanting to cause him any trouble, and she watched him move down the hallway.

_"He's walking weirdly." _She thought to herself. She couldn't put her finger on it though, and she mentioned it to her friends.

"Jesus Astrid, just go and ask him out already." Ruff groaned, clearly annoyed that this random kid was taking on Astrids mind so much lately.

"He got shot in that drug deal." Tuff said it like it was the most obvious answer, and Astrid had to resist the urge to thump her head against the table in exasperation.

"The only person who knows what's wrong with Hiccup, is Hiccup." Fish said, playing the part of the all-knowing once again. Shane didn't even bother entering into the conversation this time, too busy stuffing his face.

Astrids concern reached a new high when Hiccup didn't show up to class the week after. And it only continued to grow when he failed to attend for another day, then the whole week. She asked the teacher about it once, but if he knew, he wasn't telling. Nobody else seemed to know either, or they didn't care. Hiccup wasn't exactly a prominent figure in their year, besides being known as the kid who always had an answer, and not even Fish had heard anything along the student grapevine. Her worry didn't disappear with time either, it was always there in the back of her mind when she looked up, expecting him to have his hand raised, waiting for the teacher to tell him he could speak. One week turned into two, then three, and Astrid was now seriously concerned. Nobody had ever missed this much school before. Hell, up until now Hiccup hadn't even missed a day of his education. It seemed a little silly to her that she was so worried about this boy she'd only ever spoken about a dozen words to, but she couldn't help it. She kept telling herself that she was only worried because he was a classmate, and nobody ever wished ill upon someone they know, but did she really know him? She couldn't answer that truthfully, and that only served to confuse her.

* * *

><p><strong>Just a couple of short chapters to get the ball rolling and sort of act as pilot chapters. Anyone want to guess what's wrong with Hiccup?<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

Astrids preoccupation with this missing boy was starting to creep her out a little. Like she said to Ruff, she hardly knew the guy, and she knew it wasn't any of her business. So she tried to forget about him as best she could. Her concern, if she could call it that, dwindled to a moment of thought whenever she sat down in class and noted that his chair was still empty, but it was quickly forgotten as the day went by. Since they were in their final year of highschool, there was plenty of homework and assignments to keep her distracted, and by the time she was done with her work she was too mentally tired to do anything except go to bed or watch TV. And there was prom to think about too.

"You're going right?" Ruff asked her one day as they sat in the food court at the mall. Astrid just shrugged, she didn't honestly know if she was going to go or not. Despite Ruff's assurances that she was the only one who could possibly be awarded the title of homecoming queen, that wasn't really Astrid's thing. She'd much rather just pack her bags and go travelling once she walked out of class for the last time.

"I wasn't thinking of it." Astrid said half-heartedly.

"But it's the end of our schooling careers." Ruff argued. "We deserve to go and kick back for a night." Another shrug from Astrid.

"I could think of much better things to do with my time than go and drink punch which will most likely have been mixed in with some cheap alcohol."

"But the _guys._" Ruff sighed and rested her head on her hand, making a show of looking off into the distance as she thought about the possibilities. "You can't tell me there's not at least one good looking guy in our year who would make the night worth it."

"I can. And I will. There's not one guy in our year who would make the night worth it." Astrid said straight faced, and Ruff let her head fall on the table between them.

"You're no fun at all." She groaned. After sating their hunger, the two young women spent some more time window shopping. Astrid followed along behind Ruff, who seemed intent on going into every single clothing store in the mall in her search for the perfect prom dress.

"See, this is another reason why I don't want to go to prom. Dresses are expensive and generally uncomfortable." She said as Ruff drew back the curtain on the change room and stepped out, waiting for Astrids opinion.

"Yeah whatever. But do I look good?"

"Ruff. You look fine. To be honest you could go in some ten dollar dress from K-Mart and you'd look fine. Actually I don't know why you don't do that."

"Astrid. I'm insulted. Do you not understand my need to look the best I can for prom?"

"I understand. I just don't think it's worth...two-hundred and eighty five dollars." Astrid spoke as she flipped over the price tag on Ruffs dress, leaning in to read the tiny print. Ruff turned and walked back into the change room, pulling the curtain behind her and Astrid sat back with a groan, pulling out her Ipod and plugging in her earphones. Stretching in her chair, she glanced around the store and looked at the crowds outside the store. She saw nothing out of the ordinary so she shifted her attention back to her music. Swiping through the list of songs until she found one she hadn't listened to in a while, she sighed again and locked the device as she settled back and waited for Ruff to reappear.

* * *

><p>Hiccup walked through the mall, grimacing slightly every time he landed on his left foot. He'd have to take some more painkillers soon. It didn't feel right, the contraption he now called his leg. He hated it. But instead of sitting around at home and wallowing in self pity, he had decided to put on some jeans to cover up the device and come over to the mall. His new friend needed feeding after all. The smell of numerous felines, canines, birds and a few reptiles assailed his nostrils as he stepped into the pet store, and he looked around, trying to figure out what he would need before one of the workers asked him-<p>

"Can I help you today sir?" Too late. Resisting the immediate impulse to decline their offer, he instead looked at the lady who had spoken to him. He might as well ask them for advice. This was all new to him after all.

"Um. Yes, thanks. I uh, I'm just looking for some cat food. Or kitten food. Whatever."

"Of course. There is a bit of a difference though. How old is your cat?" The lady turned away, heading further into the store and Hiccup followed behind her.

"Uh, about two months I think."

"You think?"

"Two months." Hiccup repeated, trying to sound more certain of himself this time. The store assistant picked a few packets off the shelf and held them out, as if Hiccup knew what he was supposed to be looking at.

"This is suitable for anywhere up to six months." She said, and Hiccup nodded, pretending to understand her as she explained the different ingredients and dietary requirements of older or younger cats. Eventually she stopped talking and Hiccup indicated the first packet she had pulled off the shelf.

"That should be fine. I'll take a dozen of them." The lady nodded and smiled at him, picking more food out before walking behind the counter and scanning them. "Um, sorry if this is a silly question. But how many times a day should I feed him?"

"About three or four times a day." She answered, bagging his purchase. "Those are fairly large packets though, so just use half at a time. And leave a bowl of biscuits out so as your cat can snack whenever it's hungry."

"Uh, right. Do you guys have any of-"

"Just in front of the counter there." The assistant cut him off, predicting his question and pointing at Hiccups feet where there were several bags of animal biscuits arranged in a pile.

"Right. I guess I'd better take one of these too." Hiccup said, picking one up and holding it out for the lady to scan. The machine beeped and Hiccup paid for everything before thanking the lady and walking out of the store.

* * *

><p>Hiccup caught the bus home, trying to ignore the irrational idea that everyone was staring at him. They couldn't possibly be. His leg wasn't showing from underneath his jeans and while he still wasn't completely used to it, he only had a slight limp, barely discernible if you weren't deliberately looking for it. The bus stopped a few blocks away from his house and he thanked the bus driver as he got off. The walk home seemed longer and more painful than he remember it. Probably because it was. Everything was a little different with his leg now. He unlocked the door and stepped inside his house and as he turned he almost tripped over a tiny bundle of fur that had wrapped itself around his feet. He stumbled a little as the furry ball shot away in surprise before cautiously peeking out from inside one of the open kitchen cupboards.<p>

"Come here you. You can stop raiding the cupboards now. I've got you some proper food." The tiny ball, which turned out to be a kitten, hopped awkwardly out of the cupboard and made its way towards Hiccup when it saw the packets of food that he pulled out of the plastic bag. Upon closer inspection the reason for the kittens awkward gait became rather clear. His back leg was missing. Just like Hiccups. Hiccup retrieved a plastic childrens bowl from one of the shelves and emptied out half a packet of food into it, like the lady had told him to. Then he stored the rest of the food in an empty box and put it away for later before sitting down on the floor with his cat.

"You're a damn expensive thing you know that?" He muttered, not that the kitten heard him, too busy digging into the brown mass of so-called food. "Your vet bills, micro-chipping, now your food. I suppose I'm going to have to register you with the local council sooner or later too." Anyone else would have called him stupid or selfish for spending money on this tiny thing. But then again they hadn't been the ones to step in when they saw it being chased down by a massive stray dog. They hadn't been bitten too many times to count as they attempted to rescue the kitten. They hadn't had infection set into their leg. They still had both their legs. The logical side of Hiccups brain told him that it was stupid. Who in their right mind stepped in and just _fought _a dog that size? Who in their right mind payed for the veterinary bills that had accompanied the kitten after Hiccup had taken it in? Was his leg worth a single kitten? Probably not. But then again, Hiccup had always had a thing for helping animals. It made sense he supposed. His mother had been a vet before she died. And she'd gone out the same way Hiccup had lost his leg, trying to save an animal. In her case of course, it was a little cooler. She'd been in Africa on a wildlife conservation trip when she'd been mauled by a lion. Or was it a tiger? Hiccup tried not to think about it too much and he had been too young to remember anything in detail. At least he had managed to catch up with his schoolwork now. The first time he'd taken the day off he was worried that he'd fall behind, especially since it was his final year. And when the infection got worse and the GP had referred him to a specialist, he was certain that he was going to fail. But having a father who was the head of the school board certainly helped. His father had arranged for his schoolwork to be sent to him in advance, the logic being that while it would keep his grades up, it would also take his mind off the impending surgery. And it had. Between doting on his new kitten and losing himself in his schoolwork, the only reminder he had after his surgery was the constant aching in his..._stump, _which he combated with heavy doses of painkillers. It's not like there was anyone to miss him at school anyway.

"I suppose at least you're not going to bite me to death are you?" He spoke to the kitten as if he expected a verbal answer. The kitten in question was now quite full, and after drinking a little he clawed his way onto Hiccups leg and spun around a few times, picking at his jeans with tiny claws before settling down with a yawn and falling asleep. It was kind of cute. His teeth were also starting to show, finally. It had been a few days until Hiccup had seen any sign of teeth in the kittens mouth, but by that time Toothless already had his name. Since it would be sinful to get up now, Hiccup shuffled back until he was leaning against the cupboard before closing his own eyes and taking a nap too.


	4. Chapter 4

Later that night Hiccup sat at the table eating dinner with his father. Stoick was a huge man, easily six feet tall and half as wide. Thankfully Hiccup had only inherited the tall genes and not the ones for bulkiness.

"Are you ready to go back to school?" Stoick asked through a mouthful of food. One hidden talent of Hiccups, besides his idiotically brave streak, turned out to be cooking. And since he was home before his father every night Hiccup was usually the one to cook dinner. Unfortunately Stoicks cooking consisted of takeout and frozen meals, so Hiccup did his best to balance his fathers diet. As it was, Hiccup had been thinking about this question earlier and while he did want to get back to school, he wasn't sure what it would be like now that he was, _different._

"I guess." He answered quietly. "But what will the other students think?"

"About what?" Stoick was blissfully ignorant as he worked his way through his meal.

"Um, this." Hiccup knocked his prosthetic against the table, the plastic and steel making a different noise than the one made by flesh and bone.

"Don't worry about them." Stoick said simply. "I've already asked Gobber to tell the teachers that no questions are to be asked, and the same goes for students."

"I sometimes wish you didn't make such a fuss about me. Telling them not to ask questions is only going to make them more curious."

"Well you could always make up some story that sounds better than the truth."

"Like what?"

"Like...you stopped a robbery and got shot. Or you got shot in a drug deal gone wrong."

"Why do all your stories revolve around me gettting shot?"

"It sounds better than _ I lost my leg saving a tiny itty bitty little kitten_." Hiccup was grateful to his father. Throughout his entire academic career he'd found it difficult to talk to other students either because they didn't share the same interests or because he simply didn't know how. After his mother had died, Stoick seemed resolved to be two parents at once and he always asked Hiccup how he was going at school and tried his best to keep him happy. But not even Stoick could force people into being friends with his son. That was something he'd have to learn for himself. Of course he'd been angry and upset when he'd come home that night to find Hiccup trying to clean his leg after being bitten, and he'd been worried sick when the infection got worse. And he'd almost lost it when Hiccup showed him the_ tiny itty bitty little kitten_ that was the reason for his injury. But then again, Stoick was stubborn and his wife had been an animal lover. That was always going to be a dangerous combination. And it wasn't going to stop him from caring for his son after the operation._  
><em>

"Maybe I just won't say anything. Maintain some sort of mystery about me." Hiccup said sarcastically. "But yes, I'll go back next week."

* * *

><p>True to his word, Hiccup showed up to class the next Monday, and like Stoick said, the teacher gave no acknowledgement of his missed classes except for a "Welcome back Mr. Haddock." Hiccup nodded politely before pulling his notebooks out of his bag, grateful for some sense of normality.<p>

* * *

><p>Astrid had her head down as she took notes and she didn't bother looking up when she heard the door open.<p>

"Welcome back Mr. Haddock." That caught her attention. Glancing upwards, she looked around and indeed there was that familiar mess of auburn hair and the damn green shirt, hunched over his notes again.

_"So he is alive." _She thought to herself. _ "It's like he never left." _She returned her thoughts to her papers as she looked down again, part of her was satisfied with the knowledge that he was back, and part of her wanted to know why he'd been gone in the first place. _ "Chill Hofferson."_

* * *

><p>Even if Stoick had asked for complete and utter silence, the school wasn't big enough for Hiccups absence to go completely unnoticed, but it wasn't small enough to keep people from asking questions either. Hiccup had been aware of this, but he was still uncomfortable with the amount of attention he was getting from completely random students. His reappearance in class that morning seemed to have reminded everyone that there had been an empty seat for the past month and a bit and suddenly people wanted answers. Everything from "good to see you again" to "where the fuck have you been?" was thrown at him, and he did his best to stick to his story. As far as anyone was concerned, he'd had to take care of a few things at home and that was that. There were people who weren't satisfied with that answer of course, but he didn't care. Give it a few days and he'd be back to being a nobody taking notes up the front of the class.<p>

"I still say he was in a drug deal." Tuff said, looking over at Hiccup who was seated by himself at a lonely table on the far side of the cafeteria.

"I haven't heard anything except for that he had to deal with some stuff at home." Fishlegs replied. He had his own questions too, but he was polite enough to give the kid some space.

"Abusive parents?" Astrid asked, but Fish shook his head.

"No, from what I know he has a good relationship with his father."

"And his mother?"

"Dead." Fish said simply. Astrid had nothing to say to that. She might have been an only child too but she still had both her parents.

"Anyways, you're coming with me again this afternoon right Astrid?" Ruff asked as she changed the topic.

"Where are we going?"

"Prom shopping." And Astrid groaned.

"You've been into literally every shop in the mall. Twice." She said exasperatedly.

"Yeah but there's a few new shops that have opened up over the weekend and they're having sales."

"Take Shane with you." Astrid suggested.

"No can do ladies." Shane said, wiggling his finger at them. "I've got a date with the iron this afternoon."

"You what?" Ruff and Astrid asked.

"He's going to the gym." Fish explained.

* * *

><p>So while Ruff dragged Astrid around the entire mall searching for these new shops, Hiccup made his own way through the crowds of people towards the pet store later that day. The same lady greeted him and the transaction was shorter this time now that he knew what he needed and Hiccup spent a few minutes browsing the walls of the store as he looked at the various cat toys on offer, but he didn't buy any of them. Instead he left the store and wandered down to the food court to find something to eat. He didn't usually buy food while he was out as he preferred to cook his own meals, but today he decided to treat himself and buy whatever caught his fancy, which ended up being Subway. He was still a little short on cash at the moment.<p>

* * *

><p>Astrid had left Ruff alone for a bit, saying that she was going to get something to drink. Ruff had completely ignored her of course, too busy sorting through the racks of dresses in one of the stores they had found after almost half an hour of searching. Astrid shook her head, plugged in her earphones and made her way towards the food court as Paramore played in her ears. She brought herself a coke from McDonalds and sat down at one of the empty tables, trying to ignore the crowds of sophomores and freshman that seemed to inhabit the mall after school every day. She'd never been that short had she? And she prayed that she'd had better fashion sense at that age. Did they always travel in packs? Deciding to bail out while she could, Astrid stood up, drink in hand as she wandered through the food court. Casting a look around as she tried to decide if she was hungry too, she noticed a familiar mess of auburn hair. There was the green shirt too.<p>

"Hiccup." She muttered to herself. She thought for a moment. Would it be creepy is she just walked up to him and started talking? Should she just go back to Ruff and the dresses? No, not the dresses again. If she could put those off for another few minutes she would.

"Hey." She said as she walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder again. It wasn't easy for him to spin around this time and he cricked his neck as he turned to search for whoever it was that was speaking to him.

"Oh, hi." He said when he finally saw her. He was still nervous and awkward.

"Good to see you're finally back in class."

"Thanks." He wasn't looking at her, whether out of habit or because he didn't think he should, he didn't know.

"Do you ever speak-"

"Haven't we had this conversation before?" He asked, finally deciding to look up at her.

"If you'd let me finish, I was going to ask if you ever spoke in more than three syllables." Astrid replied, a little annoyed.

"Oh. Sorry." Hiccup looked down again out of embarrassment.

"You're doing it again."

"What?"

"Three syllables."

"Oh. Um, did you want to take a seat?" Hiccup gestured to the empty seat across from him. Why had he just said that? That wasn't like him. Was he trying to prove that he could in fact speak more than three syllables at a time? Was he beginning to lose it? Too late now.

"Sure, why not. If it gets me out of having to go shopping with Ruff for a while." Astrid said as she sat down. This was new territory for Hiccup. He'd never actually spoken to anyone for this long.

"What's wrong with, Ruff?" He asked, he paused over the nickname, unsure if he was allowed to call her that.

"Oh, nothing. It's just really really boring when she wants to try on _every single dress _in the mall."_  
><em>

"Oh right. Prom." Hiccup muttered, looking down again. He'd completely forgotten that prom was a thing. Probably because he had no intention of going. "Why Ruff?"

"What do you mean?" Astrid mumbled as she took a sip from her drink.

"That's not her real name right?"

"Hm? No it's not. Her real name's Rochelle."

"Okay then." Hiccup said, trying to figure out where the nickname had come from.

"She's got a twin, Travis. She's Ruff, he's Tuff."

"But why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are they called that?" Hiccup was genuinely confused now.

"Because they're violent." Astrid told him. Shrugging like it was no big deal.

"Do you often, hang out with violent people?"

"Nope. They're not that bad."

"You just told me they were violent."

"Well yeah, they are, but not in an _I'm going to kill you s_ort of way."

"You're confusing me." Hiccup said quietly.

"I'm confusing you? You're the confusing one." Astrid replied, tilting her drink so the straw was pointing at him.

"Why am I confusing?"

"Well. For one there's the fact that you never ever talk in class. Then you go and disappear for nearly six weeks, _ in your final year. _And when you come back you expect us to believe that it's because there were _things going on at home. _ But Fish reckons that you've got a good relationship with your father."_  
><em>

"How do you know so much about me?" Hiccup asked, raising his voice for the first time.

"What?"

"How the hell do you know so much about me when I've spoken to you once all year?" Astrid had the grace to flush and look embarrassed as she realised just how much she'd divulged in a few short sentences. She'd dug herself into this hole now she had some explaining to do if she wanted to get out.

"Well. Fishlegs is basically the gossip guru of the school. He hears everything. I don't know how, it's just something he does."

"More friends with weird nicknames." Hiccup muttered.

"Hey, you're Hiccup for crying out loud."

"What of it?"

"Don't go making fun of my friends nicknames when you've got one of your own."

"Fine then. How about I make you a deal. I'll tell you why I prefer Hiccup, if you tell me what your fascination is with me."

"I don't have a fascination with you." Astrid argued, feeling her face heat up.

"Could have fooled me."

"Fine."

"Fine." They sat there at a little table on cheap plastic chairs as they stared at each other, both waiting for the other one to speak first.

"You go first." Astrid said.

"Why?" Hiccup asked, immediately on the defensive.

"The deal, straight out of your mouth was. _I'll tell you why I prefer Hiccup, if you tell me what your fascination is with me."_

"Exactly. Which means you go first." Astrid paused for a moment as she replayed the sentence over in her mind trying to figure out the wording some more.

"Damn." She muttered when she realised he was right. "Fine then. You intrigue me. You're easily the smartest in our class, but you have no friends from what I can tell, you never speak to anyone, and you're always gone before the rest of us. I just wanted to get to know you is all."

"Is that it?" Hiccup asked cautiously.

"I swear." Astrid crossed her heart as she spoke, and Hiccups mouth twitched.

"Okay then. My turn. I prefer being known as Hiccup because when I was younger, my mother used to call me that. I might be Henry by birth name, but I've always preferred Hiccup. It's just more comforting. And before you ask, my mother is dead." He didn't sound bitter or angry about it but Astrid decided that it would be better if she didn't mention the fact that she already knew about his mother.

"Well you've proved me wrong." She said finally.

"How so?"

"You can speak in more than three syllables at a time."


	5. Chapter 5

A text message from Ruff signalled the end of the conversation shortly afterwards. Astrid took her leave, and Hiccup said goodbye as he stood up and grabbed his bag of cat food. Astrid noticed the logo on the bag, but didn't say anything and it was kind of an awkward ending to their first proper conversation. Astrid wasn't sure if Hiccup was truly annoyed with her and Hiccup wasn't sure why he'd said so much to someone who was practically a complete stranger to him. He thought about it on the bus ride home, frustrated at himself for not being able to understand why he'd spoken so openly, or at least what was considered open for him. He hadn't told her about his leg and from what he could tell she hadn't noticed it either. He hadn't told her how his mother died, he hadn't told her anything major about his past, but he was still confused.

_"Maybe I'm tired." _He thought to himself as he tore open another packet of food for Toothless. _"It does get tiring bottling everything up. Hell I've done it long enough. Argh, I don't know." _

* * *

><p>"So where the fuck did you go?" Ruff asked as she and Astrid caught their own bus home from the mall. Astrid was used to the swearing that was present in the majority of Ruff's vocabulary and she wasn't offended. It was just how her friend spoke.<p>

"To get a drink."

"Took a while to get a drink."

"I ran into someone."

"Who?"

"Hiccup." That got Ruff's attention, albeit not in the way Astrid had anticipated.

"So did he get shot?" She asked immediately.

"What? No. I didn't ask him that. Actually I think he asked more questions than I did."

"Oohh. What's he like?" Ruff asked, eager for some gossip. Astrid simply shrugged as she thought about how to phrase her answer.

"He's...quiet. If you don't piss him off."

"Silent bad boy type?"

"No. He just keeps things very close to his chest."

"Boring." Ruff groaned, waving her hands around to accentuate her point. "Tell me you learned something interesting. You were gone long enough."

"No, I really didn't learn anything much. We kind of argued a little."

"Sounds like an asshole to me." Ruff muttered.

* * *

><p>Stoick was home later than usual that night, with exams coming up for the seniors and their prom to organise, he was certainly a busy man. Hiccup had already eaten and was idly flicking through the TV stations when his father sat down with a sigh, the plate of food that Hiccup had left out for him already half empty.<p>

"How was your first day back?" He asked.

"Same shit different day I suppose." Hiccup answered, stroking Toothless' sleeping form in his lap. "A bit more attention than what I'm used to, but it'll die down in a few days."

"I'm sorry I can't keep everybody off your back son."

"Dad, don't worry about it. I'm not thirteen anymore, I can handle some questions from complete strangers. Even if some of them do seem like CIA interrogators." Stoick said nothing as he ate, one eye on whatever TV show was on at the moment. Hiccup was silent too as he put down the controller and lost himself in thought.

"Dad?"

"Hm?"

"What do you know about Astrid Hofferson?" Stoick put down his fork as he racked his brains for any idea about who Hiccup was referring to.

"Hofferson..."

"Blonde girl. My year. Top of the class." Hiccup explained, and Stoick's eyes widened slightly as he thought of something.

"Ah, of course. Astrid. Not much really, pretty standard. Her father's in the military I think, and her mother is a lawyer. As a student she's quite outstanding. Rivals you in academic performance."

"You're making me blush." Hiccup deadpanned.

"Why do you ask?" Stoick continued, returning his attention to his plate again.

"No reason in particular. She bailed me up in the mall earlier today. Seemed to know an awful lot about me."

"Contrary to what you may believe Hiccup, you are quite well known throughout the school. It's hard for you not to be. Your name is on pretty well every high-achievers list for the past three years. I don't know how she knows so much about you though. I'm not exactly _in _on school gossip."_  
><em>

"She said that I interested her."

"You could certainly do worse." Stoick deliberately kept his eyes down as he spoke, trying to hide his grin.

"Oh dad, come on. Seriously?"

"I'm just saying." Stoick said innocently.

* * *

><p>Hiccup was grateful to be back at school again. Even with his new company at home it got incredibly boring sitting quietly by himself, and the routine and structure of his classes was something he'd missed. Although he couldn't help but be keenly aware of the fact that Astrid was sitting up the back of the class, something he'd never particularly paid any attention to.<p>

Astrid was indeed still at the back of the class, seated between Ruff and Fishlegs. She rested her chin on her hand and tapped her fingers on her face as she tried to figure out Hiccup.

"Fallen in love Hofferson?" Tuff asked from the other side of his sister, leaning forward to look down the row of tables at Astrid. In response she gave him the finger and flicked an eraser at him, it hit him on the nose and he flinched, sitting back and rubbing the point of impact. "Sheesh. Definitely infatuated."

"If she is it's a very out of character thing for her." Fishlegs said, and Astrid turned her head to look at him. Fishlegs grinned at her to show he meant no insult, and she let him be, turning back to face the front of the class. "Ruff said you managed to actually get him to talk yesterday." He continued.

"Yeah, I had a chat with him." Astrid didn't look at her friend as she answered him.

"And?"

"And he thinks you have a funny nickname."

"Does he now?"

"He didn't say it in those exact words though."

"How exactly did he say it?" Fish asked, more than slightly offended at this insult to his very being.

"I think it was _more friends with weird nicknames. _To be precise."

"Says _Hiccup." _

"Yeah, we kind of argued about that."

"Sounds like an asshole." Shane interjected from the other side of Fish.

"That's what I said." Ruff murmured.

"I never told him your nickname Snot." Astrid grinned and the rest of her friends suppressed their laughter as best they could.

"I'll beat the crap out of him if he makes fun of me. He's not part of our group so he has no right to call me that."

"Shane. Chill."

"How did you get him to talk?" Fishlegs asked, moving on.

"We made a deal."

"You sold him your body." Tuff piped up again, and this time Astrid properly threw another eraser at him. He ducked and the stationary thumped against the wall behind him.

"I did not." Astrid replied coldly. "He told me something, I told him something."

"What did you tell him?" Ruff said, she hadn't heard this part of the story yesterday.

"He wanted to know why I was so interested in him. I told him he intrigued me, that's all."

"You vixen."

"Up yours."

"What did he tell you in exchange?" Fishlegs continued and Astrid paused this time. She had been about to tell her friends why Hiccup preferred to be known as Hiccup, but something stopped her. Her reasons for wanting him to talk had been harmless enough. It was true that he intrigued her and while her friends were very dear to her, it was sometimes hard to hold a conversation with them. Fishlegs was the only one who came close to her intellectual abilities, but they just didn't gel together very well. Hiccup had in truth, told her something very personal when he explained the reasons behind his nickname, and Astrid didn't feel as though it was something she should just blurt out.

"He...apologised for insulting your nicknames." She said lamely.

"Well that doesn't seem like a fair deal." Shane retorted immediately. "I can defend my own pride just fine."

"Hm. No hard feelings I suppose." Fishlegs shrugged.

"You've gotta get something else out of him Astrid." Ruff insisted, and Tuff nodded enthusiastically.

"Ask him if he got shot in that drug deal."

"You cannot be serious." Astrid groaned.

* * *

><p>The teacher had a surprise for them that day in class.<p>

"For your final assignment of the year you will need to pair up." Various groans, complaints and requests for exemption filled the air as the students either looked around for their friends or slumped over their desks. "No arguments. It was either this or a ten minute oral presentation." That shut everyone up. Nobody enjoyed getting up and talking in front of the entire class and pairing up did mean halving the workload.

"I shotgun Fishlegs." Shane called immediately, as Ruff and Tuff fist bumped then headbutted each other.

"You can't _shotgun _someone." Astrid sighed, but the twins laughed.

"Technically you could. It would leave a mess, but you could do it." Tuff said eagerly.

"Who are you partnering with Astrid?" Ruff asked, although her suggestive look towards the front of the class left no uncertainties about who she expected Astrid to choose. Astrid pondered over this for a moment, it would certainly not be the worst choice she could make. But would he accept working with her? They hadn't exactly hit it off yesterday. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, Astrid tore out a blank sheet of paper from her notebook, balled it up and threw it at Hiccup.

Hiccup was sitting with his head resting on his hands, patiently waiting for the noise to die down as everyone chose their partner. He expected to be paired up with some slacker after the teacher realised that no one had chosen them yet, but he was taken by surprise when he felt something hit the back of his head. Turning in his seat he saw Astrid motioning at him from the back of the class.

_"Is she serious?" _He wondered as she first pointed at herself, then at him. She certainly seemed to be. And it's not like anyone else was going to ask him to choose them. At least he'd spoken to her a few times. _"What the hell." _He nodded apathetically at her before turning around as the teacher called for silence.

"I take it everyone has a partner they've chosen?" He called, and everyone nodded. "Good. I'll take the pairs before you leave class today. Now then, you're actual assignment is a presentation on Norse Mythology. It can be a powerpoint, poster, whatever you choose." Hiccup mentally shrugged. He rather enjoyed history in general and mythology in particular. The standard questions about how big the project needed to be, what the marking was going to be like and when it was due were thrown around and debated, and eventually the teacher settled on a single A1 poster, 10 slide powerpoint or 5 minute video, due in a month. "That leaves you with three weeks before your finals. I'll give you todays lesson to talk with your partner about your assignment and you'll have two lessons each week to work on it in-class, but you will have to do some work at home." With that he sat back behind his desk and let the noise build as chairs scraped and students moved around to find their partners. Hiccup debated with himself about whether he should get up and go over to Astrid or just remain where he was. As tempting as it was to remain seated, she _had _asked him. So he pushed his chair back, stood up and made his way down towards the back of the class.


	6. Chapter 6

Hiccup grabbed a spare chair on the way and swung it around before straddling it easily as he sat with his chin resting on the back of the chair facing Astrid. She in turn shifted her chair around so as she was looking at him directly.

"Powerpoint, poster or video?" She asked immediately, and despite the previous days events, Hiccup was grudgingly impressed. She was straight to the point when it came to work.

"Poster." He answered. He hated speaking in videos and powerpoints where overrated.

"Fine."

"Fine." Astrids mouth twitched as she remembered the last time she'd said that to Hiccup, but she kept her attention focused on the present. "Do you know much about Norse Mythology?"

"Enough." Hiccup answered simply. "One thing though."

"Hm?"

"Why did you ask me?"

"Why did you say yes?" She was good. Maybe it was the fact that she was surrounded by her friends or that they were in class, but she wasn't as easily flustered as she had been yesterday.

"You're smart and you won't slack off. I know some stuff about mythology. And you're the only person I've had a proper conversation with in the entire class." Hiccup told her.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Well Ruff and Tuff never split up, and Shane has already shotgunned Fishlegs." Astrid explained, pointing at each of her friends in turn. Fishlegs looked around at the mention of his name and locked eyes with Hiccup, who looked back at him, putting a face to the nickname. Each of them unconsciously took in the details of the other, Hiccup noted the ease with which the bigger boy sat with the group and Fish noted the cautiously apathetic air that Hiccup had about him. Fish had been like that himself when he was younger, guarding his personality until he was fully confident in his friends, and Hiccup noticed the intelligence behind Fishlegs' eyes. They nodded at each other in greeting, but said nothing. At the same time Hiccup noticed Shane, it was hard not to. Like Fishlegs, Shane was a big guy. But while Fish was built more like the Vikings of old, naturally bulky all round, Shane seemed to have worked to achieve his size. Hiccup took in the biceps, the cocky look on Shane's face and the attempted relaxed nature in the way he swung on the chairs back legs. He didn't go so far as to label Shane as an all-muscle no brains guy, you had to have brains to get through to the final year at highschool, but his intellectual abilities weren't quite near Fishlegs' or his own. Still, Hiccup inclined his head politely to Shane in acknowledgement and Shane gave him a look that was somewhere between "I'm better than you" and "I'm trying to be polite."

"Any ideas about how you want to go about this project?" Astrid's voice interrupted Hiccups thoughts and he quickly brought his attention back to her.

"Basic background information on Norse Mythology in general, maybe two or three of their main deities and their stories. Might finish with how they're relevant to modern stories in Norway and the surrounding countries." Fishlegs raised his eyebrows in appreciation as he listened to Hiccup rattle off his plan of attack for the assignment, and a small part of him wished that he was the one working with Hiccup instead of Shane.

"Fine by me. You got a laptop?" Astrid asked, but Hiccup shook his head. He hadn't brought his today. "No problem, I've got mine." As she spoke, Astrid pulled out her school-issue computer and opened it up, typing in the wi-fi password and bringing up Google. "You seem to be the authority on this. Where should I start?" Unconsciously, Hiccup shifted his chair closer to Astrid so as he could see her computer screen.

"Just Google Norse Mythology for a start." He said. Astrid wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not but she followed his instructions anyway.

* * *

><p>They made good progress in that first class. Astrid picked out some promising sites and bookmarked them while Hiccup added in little bits of his own knowledge here and there. After the bell rang and everyone started packing up, Hiccup found himself in casual conversation with Fishlegs.<p>

"You seem to know a lot about this stuff already." Fish said admiringly.

"I read a lot when I was younger." Hiccup explained, picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

"At least you get to work with Astrid. That should make it easier."

"Shane not that great a worker?"

"Not exactly. He pulls his weight. Barely." Fish suppressed a smile as he spoke and Hiccup felt the corners of his mouth twitch in amusement. They walked out of the classroom before Fishlegs spoke up again. "Got anything on right now?"

"Nope. I don't live a very exciting life." Hiccup replied.

"Come have lunch with us. Just be careful of the cafeteria food."

"I've heard about it. That's why I bring my own. Are you sure I wouldn't be intruding on anything though? You guys seem to have a pretty close group already."

"You'll be fine. I used to be very guarded with my personality too. Besides, you've already met Astrid, Shane hasn't beaten you up yet, and the twins aren't that bad once you get used to them." Hiccup said nothing, too busy trying to figure out if he'd been behaving that obviously when he sat down at the table earlier in class and he was still thinking when he realised Fish was waiting for him to answer.

"Oh, sorry. Lost in thought. Um, okay whatever, I'll come." With that he fell into step beside the bigger boy, a strange new feeling beginning to bloom in his chest.

* * *

><p>"Whoa." Shane sounded almost awestruck when Hiccup tore open the tin foil to reveal a rather delicious looking sandwich. "What's on that thing?" He asked.<p>

"Roast beef, chutney, lettuce and red onion." Hiccup replied a little embarrassed.

"Wish they served that here." Shane sighed, looking despondently at the soggy lasagna and frozen milk that was his own lunch. "Gotta eat big to get big."

"What?" Hiccup asked.

"Gotta make them gains dude." Shane said, gesturing wildly with his hands. Hiccup just nodded as if he knew what Shane was talking about before looking around at the people who sat with him at the table.

"He lifts." Astrid muttered, as if that explained everything. Hiccup had never really payed attention to the ins and outs of the gym.

"AGH I'm so excited." Shane yelled, pounding the table with his fist and causing everyone seated there to jump a little in surprise.

"What, it's been a whole week since you last cried?" Tuff asked.

"No. It's leg day today!" Shane reminded Hiccup of a little child on their birthday, but at the mention of legs he shifted slightly, curling his prosthetic under the bench he was sitting on.

"What are you squatting?" Fish asked casually, deciding to humour Shane.

"95kg man. So close to the hundred."

"Good for you." Hiccup couldn't help but be a little envious of the way Fish so easily interacted with these people, Hiccup had said less than a dozen words but he already felt out of his depth.

"A bit of a cooking connoisseur are you?" Astrid asked, nodding at his sandwich.

"I get by."

"Any other hidden talents or secrets?"

"Nope." Again, Hiccup nudged his prosthetic further under the table.

"Astrid reckons you're pretty boring." Ruff said from the other side of the table.

"I never said that!" Astrid cried.

"Hiccup." Tuff said as he leaned forward.

"Tuff."

"You're a smart guy. What do you think would happen if we took the gunpowder from a fifty-shot and mixed it in with a big banger?" Hiccup was dumbstruck.

"The what from the what and mixed it with the what?"

"You know, fireworks."

"Oh. Uh, that's not really the sort of thing I usually think about." Hiccup mumbled. "This is what you meant when you said they were violent?" He asked Astrid in an undertone.

"Yep." She replied with a smile.

"You'd probably blow your hands off." Fish said, saving Hiccup any further explanation. "There's a reason they have trained experts make those things."

"But would it be worth it?" Tuff asked seriously.

"No." Hiccup was adamant this time. "It wouldn't be worth it." Everyone looked at him, surprised by the conviction in his voice. "Just. Trust me."

_"No other secrets huh?" _Astrid thought to herself.


	7. Chapter 7

As he sat on his bed later that afternoon, Hiccup wondered if he'd messed up. Maybe he shouldn't have been so out of character with Tuff, but he was sure. There were some things worth losing a limb for, but for fireworks? Some pretty lights? No.

"Then again." He muttered as he looked down at the sleeping kitten in his lap. "He'd probably tell me that saving you wasn't worth my leg." The kittens response was to yawn, stretch out and smack its lips a couple of times before curling back up into a ball and falling back asleep.

* * *

><p>"Good day?" Stoick asked as he dropped his keys on the kitchen bench.<p>

"Meh. Different." Hiccup replied, his back to his father as he stirred the sauce for the pasta that night.

"How so?"

"Sat with some people at lunch."

"Oh? Who?"

"Astrid, some guy called Shane. Another guy who goes by the name Fishlegs, and the twins." Stoick nodded approvingly as he listened to his son recount the conversation that had occurred at lunchtime, glad for some sign that he was finally opening up to other people. "Do you know anything about a Shane Jorgenson?" Hiccup asked. "He reckons I'm related to him somehow. Something like second cousins."

"The name does ring a bell. I _think _someone named Jorgenson might have been married to one of your mothers sisters. But I didn't know her siblings very well."

"Ok then. Just asking."

* * *

><p>Unexpectedly, Hiccup found himself automatically walking with Astrid to the cafeteria the next day.<p>

"This is a welcome surprise." She said casually.

"Your friends are amusing." Hiccup answered although he wasn't entirely sure why he was there either.

"They can be at times." Astrid agreed, missing the hesitation behind his answer.

"Has Shane always been like that?"

"Like what?"

"Gains brus." Hiccup mimicked Shane's voice from the previous day and Astrid laughed.

"No. He only started going to the gym at the end of last year, but he's really picked it up lately."

"Probably want's to look good in prom photos."

"Are you going to that?" Astrid asked as they walked.

"Probably not." And this time Astrid caught the slight hesitation before he answered.

"Not really your thing?"

"Not really." He agreed, glad he'd avoided a bullet there.

"It's not really my thing either."

"How come. Someone like you would almost be a VIP at prom."

"What do you mean by _someone like me?_" Astrid asked, stopping mid stride to look at him.

"You're smart, social, why not?"

"I'm not good looking?" Astrid pretended to be hurt, but Hiccup missed her cheeky smile and he immediately backpedaled.

"I mean, I-I-uh." He stopped when he noticed Astrid laughing at him. "I'm still getting used to this."

"Used to what?" She started walking again and Hiccup followed beside her.

"Talking to people."

"How do you _get used _to talking to people?"

"Well up until two weeks ago, I'd never actually spoken more than three sentences to anyone at school."

"Really?"

"Yes. I keep to myself a lot."

"I'd noticed." The reached the cafeteria doors and Astrid pushed them open, Hiccup stepping through before they hit him in the face. They paused for a minute as Astrid looked around for her friends before she spotted Fish and Shane's hulking figures at one of the tables further inside. As they resumed walking, weaving their way through the crowd of people, she picked up the conversation again. "You know Tuff thinks you got shot."

"What?" Hiccup wasn't paying attention and he almost stumbled as his good foot found a patch of spilled milk.

"In a drug deal gone wrong. He insists you're a drug dealer and that's why you missed so much school earlier this year." She waited for his usual sarcastic reply, but when she heard nothing she glanced back to see him stone-faced, eyes downcast as he pretended to be very careful about where he was stepping. "Sorry. She muttered. "That was out of line."

"Don't worry about it." Hiccup said as they reached the table and took their seats. He remained silent as they ate, glad for the distraction of food to keep the conversation to a minimum. He almost wished that he had been shot. His father had been right of course it did sound cooler than the real explanation about why he was missing a leg, but part of him was still stubborn and proud that he had what he considered to be, a good reason.

_"They'd probably laugh at me." _He thought as he ate. _"No one ever heard of a guy losing his leg for a kitten." _Still, part of him wanted to set the record straight, clear up any other possible rumours going around, but mostly he was still too embarrassed to talk about it. What would his friends think? Wait. Had he really just thought of them as friends? What were they? Acquaintances at best. Astrid maybe something else. But the rest of them? _ "Are they my friends?" _Hiccup shook his head as he tried to clear his mind. _ "I've been talking to Toothless by myself for too long." _He snapped out of it as Tuff's voice interrupted his internal monologue.

"-and then we were going to see if we could create lightning somehow."

"Could always just use special effects." Fish suggested. Apparently the twins had been describing their ideas for their own video project.

"But where's the danger in that?" Ruff asked, sounding almost insulted that Fish could even bring up the notion that they take the safe option.

"I could be Zeus." Shane said as thought aloud. "I'm handsome enough. And I look good without a shirt." Further up the table Astrid pretended to gag.

"Wrong god." Hiccup told Shane as he looked up. "Zeus is greek. Thor is the god of thunder in Norse mythology."

"But is he good looking?" Shane asked.

"In a way. You'd be better off playing Thor though, half of Greek mythology revolves around Zeus being unable to control his dick." Tuff snorted, Astrid choked on her drink and Fish almost fell off his seat with laughter.

"On second thoughts, Shane would be a perfect Zeus." Ruffs shoulders were shaking as she thumped Astrid on the back. The blonde girl was coughing and spluttering with tears in her eyes as she tried to compose herself.

"I like him." Tuff said to no-one in particular.

* * *

><p>"You fit in well." Astrid said as they made the trip back to class for their final lesson of the day.<p>

"Do I?" Hiccup asked, he genuinely hoped he did. "It was kind of a low blow saying that sort of stuff to Shane."

"He get's it all the time from us, but he gives it back too. And he hasn't tried to beat the crap out of you yet, so you're doing allright."

"Fishlegs said something about that as well." Hiccup muttered, and Astrid smiled.

"I told you he's a gossip guru. One of his hidden talents."

"Has he got many of them?"

"A few." Astrid said nonchalantly. "Shame you didn't come and sit with us earlier in the year. We could have had a lot more fun."

"I'm still-"

"Getting used to it. I know." Astrid finished his sentence for him, and Hiccup looked down at her as he tried to figure her out. "How come I've never noticed you till this year?" She asked suddenly, catching Hiccup by surprise.

"What?"

"How long have you been at this school?"

"Oh, about three years."

"So why have I only noticed you now?"

"I don't know, you tell me." Astrid chewed her bottom lip as she thought about her answer.

"If it's any consolation, I've known _of _you for a while now." Hiccup told her.

"Explain."

"Your name is always after mine when academic awards are called." He said simply. "And it might be an oxymoron, but you hear a lot of things when you don't speak."

"Ooohh. Oxymoron. Fan of big words are you?" Astrid asked cheekily.

"What? Oh, not really. But up until a few weeks ago I didn't actually know who you were."

"Hm." Astrid grunted. "You've always just been that kid who sits up the front of the class with that annoying green shirt."

"I happen to like this shirt." Hiccup replied, feigning insult.

"Hey, I'm not telling you what you should wear to school." Astrid held up her hands in a gesture of peace. They reached the classroom and Hiccup held the door open for her. She was surprised but didn't say anything, thanking him as she stepped through the doorway and took her usual seat up the back.

"Where are you going?" She asked as Hiccup turned away.

"Oh. I..." He stopped talking, swiveling between her and his seat up the front, unsure of what to say. It was kind of his default behaviour to go to the front of the classroom.

"Come on then." She sighed impatiently, kicking an empty table alongside her own and waiting for him to catch on. Hiccup took one last look at the front of the class, trying to bring some sort of logic or rationale into his thought process, but eventually he threw caution to the wind and turned away to sit down beside Astrid.


	8. Chapter 8

Hiccup wasn't sure if he was still suffering from the after effects of his surgery or if he'd just completely lost it, but he found himself hanging out with Astrid and her friends more and more towards the end of term. It was such a sudden change in behaviour for him he was inclined to believe he was dreaming. But, it was fun. They included him in their conversations, asked his opinion on things and showed genuine interest in him. Admittedly he couldn't just undo an entire schooling career of silence in a few weeks, but he did speak to everyone a lot more. Ruff and Tuff in particular took a liking to his sarcastic sense of humour, and Fish seemed grateful to have another male of similar intellectual ability in the group. The biggest drawcard for Shane was Hiccups lunches, and more than once Hiccup had noticed him sneaking envious glances until one day he just sighed.

"You want it?" Hiccup asked, holding up what remained of his leftovers from dinner a few nights ago.

"No no, I'm good." Shane replied, although he certainly didn't sound like he was.

"You sure? I'm pretty full right now."

"Well. If you insist-"

"I do."

"Thanks dude." Shane reached over and took the container of food out of Hiccups hands, taking a moment to savour the smell of real food and he looked like he was about to cry with happiness.

"Careful Snot." Ruff smirked at him, but he was too busy wolfing down the first tasty meal he could remember eating in that cafeteria.

"Does everyone have nicknames?" Hiccup asked the group in general, and most of them nodded.

"I don't." Astrid said. "Never had any reason for one. You know about Ruff and Tuff, but I'll let Fish explain his own, if he wants to that is."

"It's okay." The bigger boy shrugged. He had been initially cautious of Hiccup after Astrids first conversation, but things were smoother between them all now and there wasn't any harm in telling the guy. "I liked a particular book series growing up. I was Fishlegs throughout grade school and it sort of carried over into high school."

"And Shane?" Hiccup asked again.

"He was just a massive baby when he was younger." Tuff informed him. "Never stopped crying." Shane had heard them, but he didn't care. He wasn't about to go off at someone who'd just given him such a good meal.

"Why do you prefer Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked, and Astrid stopped eating for a moment as she waited for his answer. She knew why of course, but she wanted to hear what he would say to everybody else. Hiccup seemed to be mulling it over in his mind and for a moment Astrid thought he was going to revert back to his stony silence.

"Same as you I guess." He said. "It was kind of my nickname in grade school and it just stuck with me. Sounds better than Henry anyway."

"I hate it when they use my full name at awards ceremonies." Fish groaned. "It's so embarrassing." Astrid felt as though she should mark this day on the calender or something. Hiccup, talking about his personal life. It might have been a bit silly, but for Hiccup it was a major accomplishment. Although she did notice he hadn't told them everything he'd told her.

* * *

><p>"Am I special or something?" She asked as they sat together up the back of class a few days later, working on their project quietly.<p>

"You have _got_ to stop asking me questions without context." Hiccup said, eyes on his laptop screen as he typed.

"You only told Fishlegs half the story about your nickname the other day." She watched him carefully for his reaction, but he didn't flinch.

"I told him the truth."

"A half-truth."

"Better than a whole lie." He finally looked at her as he sat back in his chair and stretched out with a groan. Astrid wasn't sure if she should be angry that he wasn't being completely honest with them or just leave it be.

"So what are we?"

"Again. Context please."

"Well, I'm pretty sure that everyone considers you part of the group now. I know I do. And I know it's only been a few weeks. But what are we to you?" This time Hiccup paused before he answered, thinking of how best to answer her.

"I honestly don't know. I didn't exactly have friends in grade school, so my definition of friend is probably very different to yours."

"Fine then. What _is _your definition of a friend?"

"Someone I can talk to and someone I can trust completely." He answered without hesitation. Those where the first things to come to mind and when he thought about it, they were the things that his father was to him. Someone to talk to and someone he could trust. As he spoke Astrid held up a finger for each point he made.

"Well that's pretty easy. You can talk to us." She flicked one finger. "Do you trust us?"

"I don't-"

"Do you trust _me_ then?" She said it clearly, making sure he heard exactly her as she looked him in the eyes and didn't blink. Hiccup returned her look, searching for any sign that she was playing with him or otherwise had any ulterior motive. He found nothing.

"Yes." He said finally.

"I'm sensing a _but._" She really was good.

"I do trust you. But there are a few things I haven't told you yet."

"Well I certainly wouldn't expect you to just open up to me right away." Astrid replied easily as she put down her fingers and turned back to her computer. "But that just makes you more interesting."

"Am I some sort of experiment to you?" Hiccup asked, turning back to his own laptop.

"No. You're my friend." For some reason those few words made him incredibly happy.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry everybody, but we're going to have to stop the in-class work on the projects this week." The teacher stood up the front as he made the announcement and a single loud groan went up from the students. "I know I told you you'd have some more time in-class, but things have changed so you're going to have do finish your projects at home." Hiccup looked across at Astrid, sitting on the other side of Fish. She didn't look bothered by this change in plans, so Hiccup supposed he was okay with it too.<p>

"I suppose this means one of us has to go to the others house sometime." He said as they stood around after class.

"That's certainly what it sounds like." She answered.

"Um-"

"Your place or mine?" She said it so casually and it caught Hiccup off-guard again.

"Uhhh..."

"Arranging a date you two?" Tuff called as he walked out behind them.

"Yeah, study date." Astrid replied easily.

"Sure sure." Tuff didn't look back as he waved and left for home with his sister. At least they didn't have to worry about whose house they'd have to go to. Meanwhile Hiccup was turning over his thoughts in his mind as he tried to think of what exactly he was supposed to do. It was polite for the guy to ask the girl round to his house right? Or was that just creepy? What if she thought he was trying to make a move on her? But she knew him better than that surely? She was smart enough to know he wouldn't pull anything like that.

"My place is fine." He said before he'd really had a chance to overthink things.

"No worries. Do you have anything to get the poster started or do I need to bring some stuff?"

"Uh you might have to bring stuff."

"Okay then."

"Okay." They were both silent again. He because he was trying to think of what to say next, her because she was waiting for something.

"You _are _going to need to give me your address." She said finally.

"Oh. Right, yeah." He flustered, putting down his bag to tear out a piece of paper from his notebooks and write down his address.

"Have you never given a girl your address?" Astrid giggled, amused at his awkwardness.

"No. I can't say I have."

"Not even your number?"

"No."

"Well I'm going to need that too. In case there's a change of plans or I get hopelessly lost." He scribbled some digits underneath his address and handed her the paper and she glanced at it quickly before pocketing it.

"Is it easier for you if I come round after school or on the weekend?"

"Whenever you like."

"Okay then. I might come round on Friday afternoon then. Actually that would be better." Astrid snapped her fingers as the thought occurred to her. "That way I can just follow you home."

"Because that doesn't sound creepy at all." Hiccup said, trying to cover up his previous awkwardness with his usual sarcasm. "Are you telling me that all of that just now was for nothing?"

"No it wasn't for nothing. I swear I only thought of that second option just now. And I got your number and address out of it too." She grinned at him and he blushed. _"He's kind of cute when he does that."_


	9. Chapter 9

Everyone seemed to have had the same idea as Astrid and Hiccup and on Friday afternoon the twins, Fish and Shane and Astrid and Hiccup paired up and took their different routes home. Hiccup was surprisingly calm once as he stepped onto the bus and showed the driver his school ID, Astrid followed behind him and they sat together up the back of the bus.

"Habit of yours?" Hiccup asked.

"Now _I'm _going to need some context." Astrid replied, casually dropping her bag on the floor and propping her feet up on an empty seat in front of them.

"Sitting up the back."

"Nah, it's usually just quieter and you can see everything that goes on."

"Right." Hiccup left his own bag on the seat next to them, but didn't put his feet up.

"Mind you though, most of the time there's this annoying green spot in my field of vision in class."

"Would you believe me if I told you I have half a dozen of these shirts at home?

"It wouldn't surprise me."

"Hm. Well I don't, but I do own this marvelous invention called a washing machine."

"Ha-de-ha." Astrid stuck her tongue out at him and they settled down for the trip. She considered asking how long it would take, but she was quite content to follow Hiccups lead. And besides, she'd never caught this bus before. Hiccup also said nothing, keeping an eye on the stops before theirs and finding himself rather enjoying the simplicity of Astrids company. Eventually though they reached their stop and Hiccup tapped her on the shoulder.

"This is us." Standing up, he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, Astrid copying him as they waved to the driver and hopped off the bus. She followed him as he walked through the streets of a rather nice and clean looking suburb, which really wasn't any different to the one she lived in. Eventually they reached Hiccups house and he unlocked the door, kicking off his shoes and leaving them on a rack that sat just inside the door. Astrid copied him and took off her own shoes, but as she bent down to pick them up, she noticed his foot. It was a foot, but it wasn't. It looked... _fake. _

"What-?" That one word was out of mouth before she could stop it, and Hiccup heard her. When he noticed she was looking at something he followed her gaze.

"Oh. Fuck." Was all he said, and Astrid got the sudden impression that she shouldn't be here.

"Maybe I should go-" She started, but he cut her off.

"No it's okay. You've made the trip here, and we need to finish this project." He turned away again and walked further into the house, but not before she heard him mutter "you were going to find out one day."

"Hiccup." She started after him but he didn't look back as he spoke to her.

"Can we just, start on the project?" He sounded wounded and irritated and Astrid thought it would be best if she just did as he asked. So she followed him into the dining room and they set up their laptops on the table, putting the finishing touches on their written work before printing it off. Astrid had brought along the A1 sheet that they would use and she unrolled it now, laying it out and beginning to cut out the various text and pictures that made up their project. Hiccup was silent the whole time, focusing on the paper as he trimmed it neatly and stuck it on the carboard. As they were working a small black cat, more of a kitten really, appeared from somewhere else in the house and sat at Hiccups feet, meowing insistently. At first Astrid thought the cat was just very well behaved, but when Hiccup picked it up and sat it on his lap, she only saw three legs.

_"Oh." _She thought. _"Does anybody in this house have all their limbs?" _She stopped for a moment and put down the scissors she was holding. Had she really just thought that? Had she really just been that insensitive? Yes she had, and she was disgusted with herself for it. As such it was a rather uncomfortable silence as they put the two of them worked. Hiccup was upset with himself for being so careless and was fearing the explaining that he would have to do, Astrid was still disgusted with herself for thinking such thoughts but at the same time she felt pity for Hiccup alongside a morbid curiosity to know what happened to him. She had a feeling that the cat was related to it somehow, but she said nothing out of respect. Eventually though they stuck the last picture onto the cardboard and they were done. Hiccup was still silent as he put down the glue stick and scratched his kitten under the chin. Deciding he'd have to get on with it, he stood up, picking up the kitten with one hand and sitting it on his shoulder, where it curled around his neck as it had obviously done many times before.

"Are you hungry?" He asked Astrid, and she nodded. They hadn't eaten since lunch and they'd been working for at least an hour. Hiccup made his way into the kitchen and busied himself there whhile Astrid collected all the scraps of paper and dropped them in her bag. She'd put them in the bin later. Hiccup returned with some leftover dinner and handed Astrid a plate. Whatever it was it smelled very appetizing and she dug in, both out of hunger and to avoid conversation. Hiccup picked at his own food, he probably fed more of it to his kitten than he actually ate himself, and he was clearly waiting.

"I told you I hadn't told you everything about me." He said, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence. Astrid sighed and pushed her plate away.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry about it."

"But I am worried about it." She insisted, and he looked up at her. "Are you in pain?"

"Not really." His eyes were downcast again as he spoke. "It's been a while now."

"Who's your friend?" Astrid asked, trying to avoid making Hiccup any more uncomfortable. The kitten wasn't asleep anymore and it was trying to crawl down Hiccups arm, extending its claws in an attempt to find some purchase on his sleeve.

"Toothless." Hiccup explained, reaching up and plucking the kitten off his shoulder and putting it on the table where it shook its head and looked at Astrid.

"Cute." She held out her hand and Toothless sniffed it cautiously before deciding she was no threat and rubbing up against her knuckles. "I suppose this is the drug deal that went wrong?" Hiccup laughed a little at the reference to Tuffs original thoughts on the matter and Astrid eased up slightly.

"You could say that."

"It does explain why you kept glancing in your bag that day."

"Jesus how do you remember that?"

"Tuff thought it was because you had drugs in your bag."

"Nope. No drugs. Just him." Hiccup nodded at his animal friend, who was now pawing at Astrids fingers.

"So. What happened?" Astrid asked, finally getting to the crux of the matter.

"He was being attacked by a stray dog. A _massive_ stray dog."

"Please don't tell me you stepped in." Hiccup said nothing. "Well?"

"You just told me not to tell you that I stepped in." Despite the nature of the conversation, Hiccup smiled at her slightly and Astrid was relieved to know that he still had his usual sense of humour.

"But how does a three legged kitten lead to your leg?"

"Once he was done with Toothless he had a go at me." Hiccup said, trying not to make a big deal of it. "Bites got infected. Medication didn't help. Eventually it just got too bad to save." He summed up the weeks of pain and the entire ordeal of his operation in less than a dozen words, and Astrid couldn't help but be a little amazed by that. And at the resilience of the boy sitting opposite her.

"But there's something I don't get." She muttered, and Hiccup gestured for her to continue. "Why did you do it? He's adorable and all, but was it worth...your leg?" She was still a little uncomfortable talking about his missing limb. She didn't feel as though she had the right to.

"Oh believe me, I've asked myself that question so many times." Hiccup sighed, tilting his chair back on two legs like he did in class. "Overall was it worth it? Probably not. I can't describe the pain during the infection. And surgery was just downright fucking scary. But dad told me one day afterwards that the combination of mom being a vet and him being stubborn was always going to be a bad mix."

"You're mom was a vet?"

"Yep. Went to Africa on a trip. Didn't come back."

"I'm sorry." Astrid didn't know what else to say. She'd learned more about this boy in ten minutes than she'd known all year.

"It's okay. I was too young to remember much anyway. I guess mortal peril is just an occupational hazard of being a Haddock."

"How far up does it go?" She asked cautiously. Hiccup took a moment to understand what she was talking about, but he rolled up his jeans to reveal a length of plastic and metal that joined on to the bottom of his knee.

"That's why I wear long pants now." He explained. Astrid wasn't repulsed, but that morbid curiosity was still present. The prosthetic was held onto Hiccups knee by a simple cap and sleeve, and he still had full range of motion in his knee joint. The endings of what was obviously a very large scar showed just above the cap, but she was very impressed that he'd managed to keep it hidden, both physically and in the way he walked.

"I'm surprised you don't have a limp."

"There were some good physios at the hospital." Hiccup couldn't explain what he was feeling right now it if he'd been asked to. He'd held onto this fear that Astrid and everyone else at school would see him as some sort of freak. Someone who wasn't whole. But Astrid was still sitting where she was, she hadn't drawn back in disgust or covered her eyes in horror. And now that someone else knew about his leg, he felt as though there was just a little less pressure on him and it was kind of liberating.

"Just do me a favour though." He said quietly, and Astrid looked up at him again.

"Don't tell the gang that I'm missing a leg because of a kitten. When they notice, can we just stick with the story that I was bitten by something? Maybe an alligator or a bear? It sounds way cooler."

"Sure thing." Astrid smiled.


	10. Chapter 10

Predictably, Astrid and Hiccup were finished their project well before anybody else in the group. As such they spent the majority of the next week enjoying the spectacle of Ruff, Tuff, Fish and Shane panicking over their own work, but eventually Hiccup took pity on them and gave them a few notes and ideas which they accepted gratefully.

"Just don't copy it word for word." He advised them, looking at the twins in particular. The general atmosphere among them all wasn't any different than before, but Hiccup felt more at ease now that someone else knew about his leg. He didn't feel as if he was intruding on them or hiding anything, and it resulted in him opening up a lot more than in previous weeks. Astrid had kept her word and hadn't said anything about it yet, everyone would find out about Hiccup sooner or later and she'd just have to back him up. Still, as fun as it was enjoying themselves, they did have finals coming up and there wasn't a break between handing in their assignment and catching up on any last minute revision. Lunchtime cafeteria conversations gave way to library study sessions with the gang pushing a couple of tables together and crowding around them with their revision notes splayed out haphazardly. Hiccup wasn't particularly worried about his exams. He knew from experience that he performed well when it counted and his attention during class paid dividends now, but he enjoyed the company of the people he now considered friends and it was rather gratifying to know that they were grateful for his presence. Even if part of the reason was because they got to look at his notes. A few days before their first exam and the gang was back in the library, hunched over their notebooks and scribbling away. Or in Hiccups case, tilting his chair back and swinging on its back legs.

"So what are you lot planning on doing after graduation?" He asked the table in general.

"Schoolies bro." Shane said, not looking up from his paper. (1)

"Figures." Hiccup muttered as he stared at the ceiling.

"I'm heading to college next year." Fish told him.

"Here or somewhere else?"

"Here."

"You don't want to get out of here and explore or anything?" Hiccup asked, setting his chair back down on all fours and looking at the bigger boy.

"I'll have time for that later." Fishlegs shrugged.

"Well _we're _getting out ASAP." Ruff put in as she set down her pen and stretched in her chair.

"Going where?" Astrid asked, although she still didn't look up.

"No idea. I just want a few months off." Tuff said.

"Just going to wing it huh?" Both the twins nodded.

"But then I want to see if I can find a pyrotechnics course." That was Tuff again, and Hiccup and Astrid looked at him sceptically. "What? Fish said that there were people paid to blow stuff up. That's the job for us."

"Makes sense I suppose." Hiccup muttered. "And what are _you _planning on doing Astrid?" The blonde didn't answer immediately, instead she finished her last few sentences before closing her book.

"I'm bailing out." She replied.

"Details."

"Travelling. I want to go and see some other cities, explore a bit."

"Sounds like fun."

"You should come to schoolies with me Astrid." Shane said. "Come party for a week or two, get absolutely hammered. Then you can go travelling."

"I can think of better things to do than wake up and drink all day Shane."

"But that's the whole point of schoolies." Astrid simply shook her head in amusement, despite the hundreds of students who would inevitably be joining Shane on a week-long bender, drinking didn't appeal to her and there were always a few horror stories about what went on when teens were left unsupervised for a week with alcohol and recreational drugs.

"And you?" She asked Hiccup.

"And me what?"

"What are you going to do?"

"No idea." He said simply.

"Come on. You must have some plans for after school."

"Nope. Never gave it much thought. If anything I'll just wing it, take it day by day. I suppose college is on the cards, but not for at least six months. I need a break after twelve years of school." Astrid pressed her lips together as a thought crossed her mind, but she didn't say anything. Shortly after Shane and Fish decided they'd had enough for one day too and they all packed up, put the tables back where they were supposed to go and left the library.

* * *

><p>Hiccup didn't see much of anyone until the first day of their finals when they all crowded around the entrance to the exam hall. Some people were hurriedly reading through their notes one more time, others were double and triple checking they had everything they thought they might need, which for some people appeared to be half a stationary shop. And still others seemed resigned to their fate as they downed coffee or energy drinks. Out of all of them, he felt that himself, Astrid and Fish appeared to be the most relaxed. Well, of course the twins and some others looked relaxed, but Hiccup got the impression that they didn't particularly care what their grades were.<p>

"Twelve years of schooling education comes down to three hours in a silent exam hall." He mused to Astrid as the entire senior year student body stood around waiting.

"Can't wait for this to be over." She replied as she looked up at him. It never ceased to surprise her every time she had to look up at him. Despite the fact that he was now a regular at their cafeteria table she still had to remember to look higher whenever she turned and came eye-to-shoulder instead of eye-to-eye.

"Have you got many exams?"

"This one. Maths later this afternoon, Chemistry and Biology tomorrow and the day after." Hiccup made a noise in his throat and Astrid looked at him. "Wait, why are you asking me this? You take the same classes as I do."

"Just trying to make conversation." He said innocently. Astrid had been about to ask him something but all conversation ceased as the doors open and one of the teachers stood in the doorway. The teaching staff at the school would be supervising their final exams, much to the relief of the students who had been fearing some sort of grim-faced examiner from interstate.

"The seating arrangement is on the whiteboard to your left as you enter. Please find your name and take your seat silently. Leave your bags over in the corner of the room." He sounded extremely bored, but then again he was resigned to three hours of silence just as much as the students were. Hiccup nodded towards the doorway and Astrid followed him through as they scanned the whiteboard for their names, after which the deposited their bags as told and took their seats. Hiccup found it a little ironic that Astrid was now seated in front of him for the first time all year.

"They've got the seating arrangements wrong." Astrid muttered out of the corner of her mouth as she stepped past Hiccup on the way to her own place. He smiled ruefully as other teachers walked around and handed out the examination papers. Once again the bored sounding teacher explained the rules of the exam. No talking, no cheating, anyone wishing to go to the toilet must raise their hand and a teacher would escort them out of the exam room. Pretty standard stuff. Then he looked up at the clock, back to his own watch and out at the assembled students.

"You have three hours. Your exam starts. Now."

* * *

><p>Three hours went by in a blur of ink, writers cramp and the popping of joints as the students wrote, flipped pages and twisted in their seats to relieve their backs. As confident as she was in her academic ability, Astrid didn't rush anything but she was still finished half an hour before their time was up. She used that time to go over her answers once more. There were one or two of them which had been complete curveballs, and as much as she hated it, she had guessed the answers to those questions. But she was satisfied with the rest of her paper and she put down her pen, holding onto the back of her chair and twisting, internally sighing as her back popped and cracked. She stole a glance at the rest of her classmates as she turned, over to her left Shane scratched his head and looked questioningly at the paper in front of him, and Fishlegs appeared to be talking to himself. On her right the twins had matching, bored looks on their faces as they wrote. Whether they were actually writing the exam or just doodling on the paper she couldn't tell. Hiccup sat with his hands clasped behind his head as he stared at the ceiling, casually leaning back on his chairs rear legs like he'd done so many times that year.<p>

_"Of course he's finished by now." _Astrid thought. _"Freaking genius."_ She smiled to herself as she turned back to her own paper, deciding to give her answers one more once-over.

* * *

><p>"Eughhhhhhhh." Tuff groaned as the gang walked away from the exam hall. "Single most boring three hours of my life."<p>

"But it's over now." Fish reminded him. "One down, three to go." The rest of them were heading for the cafeteria, eager for some lunch after spending the better part of the morning in the exam.

"Kill me now." Tuff muttered.

* * *

><p><strong>(1). For those of you who aren't reading this in Australia, <em>schoolies<em> is essentially what I described it as in the chapter. A week long party involving copious amounts of alcohol and cheap drugs. It's supposed to be a week to kick back and let off steam, but there's always hospital cases, and when people go to places like Bali in Indonesia to party, there's unfortunately often a death or two as well.**


	11. Chapter 11

The twins and Shane took a couple of different classes to Astrid, Fish and Hiccup, so they sat their last exams separately. Again, thanks to whatever seating arrangement the staff had planned out, Hiccup was continually sat behind Astrid and it amused him in a way, seeing their spots reversed. Regardless, three hour exams passed quicker than Hiccup thought they would and before he knew it his schooling career was over and he was walking out of the exam room for the last time.

"That was a little underwhelming." He said to Astrid and Fish.

"What was?" Fish asked.

"I don't feel as though I've just finished twelve years of school."

"Oh, I know what you mean. But college starts up soon enough."

"Jeez Fish, take a break for a moment would you?" Astrid groaned as she stretched her arms above her head in satisfaction. "Damn am I glad that's over."

"Immediate plans?" Fishlegs asked the two of them.

"Go home and sleep." Hiccup replied and Astrid nodded.

"Sounds like a good idea."

"It feels weird knowing I don't have to go home to homework." Fish muttered, but Astrid clapped him on the back.

"I could get used to it."

* * *

><p>Hiccup sat on his bed, Toothless curled up on his chest. In the few months since Hiccup had adopted him the tiny black kitten had grown larger, and was now almost as long as Hiccups forearm. But he was still a young feline and since Hiccup had essentially mothered him, he had grown very attached to his human and was seemingly able to sleep in the most uncomfortable positions, as evidenced by the time Hiccup had placed him on his shoulder. Hiccup felt quite content with himself at the moment, there was no pressure to study or work on assignments and he had at least six months to relax and think about where he went from here. He jumped a little when his phone rang, picking it up and not recognising the number, he swiped to answer.<p>

"Hello?"

"Hiccup?" A voice said on the other end. It sounded familiar.

"Yes."

"Oh good, you didn't give me a dud number then."

"Astrid?"

"Well, yeah. Unless you have a habit of giving out your number to people, but as far as I know, you don't." Now Hiccup recognised the voice. And the accompanying sarcasm.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked, sitting up a little straighter and causing Toothless to roll down his chest and into his lap.

"Uh..." Astrid faltered for a minute and Hiccup was suddenly very alert.

"Are you okay? Has something happened?"

"What? No. Yeah I'm fine." She sounded, anxious? Nervous? That wasn't like her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure."

"Okay then..." He waited for her to elaborate, hearing her take a deep breath on the other end of the line.

"Are you still planning on not going to prom?" Of everything she could have asked him, he wasn't expecting this.

"Um, kind of yeah. I had no plans on going. Why?"

"No reason." Of course there wasn't. She'd rung him out of the blue for no reason at all. Right. There was silence for a moment as each of them waited for the other to speak.

"Astrid?"

"Yes?"

"You are still there. Good. I get the feeling that despite you having _no reason, _there is a reason for this call."_  
><em>

"Goddamn it. Why do you have to be so attentive?" Hiccup couldn't see her, but he imagined Astrid pinching the bridge of her nose as she spoke. The thought made him smile slightly. "Fine. We'll cut to the chase. Would you like to go to prom with me?" Now Hiccup was sure he was dreaming.

"I'm sorry?"

"Jesus Christ Hiccup don't make me say this more than I have to please. _W__ould. You. Like to go. To prom. With me?"_ He had to be dreaming. Astrid wasn't asking him to prom. This was all a figment of his imagination. At least it was until Toothless, upset by his interrupted nap, extended his claws and started kneading the flesh of Hiccups thigh in another attempt to go back to sleep. It hurt. So maybe it wasn't a dream.

"I thought you weren't planning on going." He said lamely.

"I wasn't. But I changed my mind."

"Just like that?"

"Yes just like that. Am I not allowed to change my mind?" She asked, and Hiccup felt as though he should avoid any further confrontation and decided to drop the sarcasm.

"No no, you are. I'm just...curious about why."

"I wasn't planning on going, but Ruff called me before and absolutely insisted that I come upon pain of death."

"Go on."

"And I really didn't want to say yes, but she's my friend after all, and I suppose she _does_ deserve a night to party after exams."

"But where do I fit into this?"

"Well I'm not going to just sit around by myself am I?" Truth be told, Hiccup had assumed she would do just that.

"But, isn't the guy supposed to ask the girl to go to prom?"

"Fat chance that was going to happen wasn't there?" Astrid said, and Hiccup had to acknowledge her point. But there was still something.

"I don't know Astrid. I know that you know about my leg, but no-one else does. And I'm not really big on ceremonies." He muttered.

"Your leg will be covered by trousers, and you've done a pretty good job of hiding it for the majority of the year. And for the record, I'm not big on ceremonies either."

"But-"

"Hiccup, for god's sake. Nobody knows, or remotely cares about your leg. You're still you."

"You know about it."

"And I _don't care. _It doesn't change you as a person." More silence on Hiccups end of the line. "Please?" Astrid asked, more gently this time. "I'm not asking you to go and be homecoming king or anything. Just come and keep me company."

"...Is anyone else we know going?" Astrid could feel he was giving in, and she pressed her advantage.

"Everyone. Fish, Shane, the twins. It'll be fun." Hiccup sighed, leaning back against the wall at the top of his bed. It was fine to have Astrid know about his leg and all, but was he really ready to go to something like prom? On top of his insecurity about his leg, he wasn't even sure he knew what he was supposed to _do _at prom. Astrid remained silent as he debated with himself, she wasn't going to hang up until she had an answer. Hiccup thought some more, staring at the ceiling, then looking down at Toothless who had finally decided that Hiccups thigh was soft enough to fall asleep on.

"Why don't you ask Fish or Shane if they're already going?"

"Because I'm asking you." Astrid sounded like she was close to losing her patience. Hiccup was flattered and a little confused that she wasn't interested in going with the other two boys whom she'd been friends with for much longer than him.

_"I have no idea what I'm doing." _Hiccup thought to himself. "Allright. I'll come."

"Thank you so much." She said, and she sounded genuinely happy. That was something to be grateful for. "Do you have a suit?"

"No I don't. Like I said, I'm not big on ceremonies."

"Good. Then you can come prom shopping with me."

* * *

><p>Hiccup felt awkward and out of place in the store. He'd never particularly paid attention to fashion or clothing in general, and now here he was trying on a menagerie of high-end suits.<p>

_"Interesting day this has been." _He thought as he cast his mind over the past few hours. He'd met Astrid at the mall earlier that day, and he'd been fully expecting to be dragged around as she searched for the perfect dress. But thanks to the many hours spent with Ruff, she'd walked into a particular store on her first attempt, spent a few minutes browsing the racks, then disappeared into the change rooms. Hiccup, completely out of his depth, had stood outside, waiting for her as he fidgeted. The store supervisor glanced at him and smiled in amusement. Clearly this young man had never been clothes shopping before, and she thought they made a cute couple. Then Astrid drew the partition back and stepped out. Because Hiccup had never been shopping with a girl before, he wasn't sure what to expect, but she did look strikingly different. She had selected a simple red gown which hugged her body until it flared out below her waist, leaving her legs unrestricted. The bottom of the dress was enhanced with a number of overhanging segments which gave it some body and broke up the otherwise smooth appearance of the outfit. A silver band ran underneath the bust line and Hiccup hadn't ever felt any need to ogle Astrid, but the gown did a marvellous job at displaying her curves.

"What do you think?" Astrid asked him, spinning in place so as he saw everything.

"I feel like I should say something cliche'."

"Like what?"

"That you look beautiful."

"Aww, you're after my own heart Hiccup." She smiled at him and he blushed. "But honestly, what do you think."

"I think it looks great on you."

"Just great?" She pouted, baiting him.

"It's spectacular. You really do look beautiful." He stammered. Behind him the supervisor muffled her laughter and Astrid couldn't help but chuckle at him too.

"Then I'll take it."

* * *

><p>Now here he was in the mens store further down from where Astrid had bought her own dress, and he was trying to wrap his head around whatever it was the assistant was telling him about suits. Astrid sat back and watched as Hiccup was given a number of tuxedos and suits to try on and she shooed him into the change rooms when he looked over at her for help. Shutting the door behind him, he stripped off and changed into the first of the suits he'd been given. He had never worn a suit before and while the simple white shirt didn't feel like anything in particular, the jacket felt strange as it sat across his shoulders. The pants were also a little constrictive of his prosthetic, which was slightly thicker than his actual lower leg. Regardless he stepped outside and held out his arms as he waited for Astrid appraisal. She whistled in appreciation as she gave him a once over. The jacket made his shoulders appear broader and it tapered down to his waist nicely. The trousers looked a little tight though.<p>

"Not bad. You dress up well." She said, and he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "But try again." Nodding, Hiccup stepped back into the cubicle to try on another outfit.

The process continued, Hiccup trying on different clothes, finding some jackets were too baggy across his shoulders while other trousers had the same problem as the first and were too constrictive of his prosthetic. He also mixed and matched colours, he tried on a white suit, which did look quite good on him, but the price tag put that option out of his budget. Astrid decided grey was too dull on him and eventually Hiccup walked out of the change rooms in a regular black jacket, which sat above a long-sleeved white button up shirt that was secured with a black bow tie. He'd managed to find some trousers which flared out towards his feet and left his prosthetic freer than the others he'd tried on.

"You could be a waiter." Astrid told him as he spun around, looking down at himself.

"Too simple?" He asked nervously.

"No. It suits you. No pun intended." She grinned. He fiddled with the cuff links on his wrists, flicking the sleeves up so as they sat above his wrists and for some reason Astrid found that little movement strangely enticing.

"Well if it works, then I'll grab it. You're the expert on these things." He conceded, she nodded in agreement and he returned to the change room to switch back into his regular clothes.


	12. Chapter 12

Hiccup spent the week between his shopping date with Astrid and the night of the actual prom wondering what on earth had possessed him to say yes. He didn't regret it, it was just so out of character for him. Then again the whole year could be deemed out of character. He'd gone from saying less than a dozen words a day at school, to engaging in proper conversations with people he hadn't really known up until two months ago. He had resigned himself to being even more withdrawn and socially isolated after he had lost his leg, but he hadn't counted on Astrids persistent curiosity or stubbornness but he was grateful to her for it. She'd opened up a whole new world for him that was so different to his lonely front row desk and solitary lunch breaks and he had to admit that he loved it. As most high school students did, he did absolutely nothing productive in his week off. He slept in and ate at irregular times, but he still made sure that his father had something decent to eat when he got home. That was another thing. His father had noticed the change in his son since he'd started hanging out with other students, and he was glad for it. Stoick loved his son dearly, but it got debilitating to come home day after day and see him idly flicking through the TV stations, that some bored look on his face. Now Hiccup had even come home after Stoick a few nights after staying back with his friends to study and chat, and on those rare occasions Hiccup relaxed and consented to Stoicks favourite takeaway, which didn't taste to bad in all honesty. Stoick supposed he had Astrid to thank for this change in his son, that day he'd come home and informed Stoick that she'd _bailed him up_ in the eatery at the mall seemed to have been the kick starter. Well, he'd get his chance soon enough. She was supposed to be Valedictorian for the year, at the awards ceremony before the students were dismissed for their prom. Hiccup had been the original choice, and despite his grades, the six weeks he'd missed earlier in the year had shut down that option.

Between his irregular meals and his less than perfect sleep pattern, time passed quickly for Hiccup and before he could remember anything significant during his week off, he was standing with the other students to one side of a large stage as they were called up in alphabetical order. His father and Principal Gobber handed them their graduation certificates and shook hands with them all, and it felt strange for Hiccup to shake hands with his own father. But Stoick was still inordinately proud of his son, not only for his final grades, but for getting through everything the year had thrown at him. Astrid gave a small speech, the usual thanks to her teacher and fellow students, best wishes for their futures and a little inspirational story thrown in for good measure. Hiccup clapped politely along with everyone else as she descended from the podium, he thought she looked stunning in her formal wear. She'd looked beautiful in the dress when she'd tried it on in the store, but now she'd gone through the entire make-up and hairstyle process, much to Ruff's delight. Astrid hadn't gone overboard with the make-up, but she'd done it well, it brought out her eyes and made her skin glow. At least that's what Hiccup thought, he wasn't much of a make-up artist. She had also abandoned her usual braid in lieu of a more formal, but still practical style. Her hair was drawn back in a small yet elegant bun and she had kept her bangs. Overall she was easily one of the prettiest girls in attendance that night.

"I didn't sound too pompous did I?" She asked him in an undertone as she took her place beside him.

"Ooh pompous. Fan of big words are you?" She vaguely remembered saying something of the same nature to him a few weeks ago, and she smirked at him.

"Smart-ass."

"Valedictorian." Hiccup inclined his head towards her and she smiled graciously. She _was _quite proud of herself for that particular achievement.

"Should have been you." She sounded almost sad as she spoke.

"Nah, I'm okay. Never liked talking in front of people."

"You didn't like talking at all up until about six weeks ago."

"Shit happens." He shrugged and Astrid cast a sideways glance at him. In the short time she'd known him, her opinion of him had changed dramatically. Originally she thought he might just be a stuck up git, then she thought he might have been depressed or otherwise hurt in some way because he never spoke so much. Then she had managed to get him to speak and found that he wasn't depressed, he was hurt, but he was healing. She'd found him to be a sarcastic little shit at times, but she liked him better that way. Much more fun to be around. He was more at ease with his leg too, and that was something she'd definitely noticed in him. Originally he'd been insecure and fearful of peoples reactions, now he was much less so, either he would just accept whatever happened or he didn't care.

"You look great." He muttered as Principal Gobber announced the class of that year and the assembled parents and teachers stood and applauded. Astrid looked at him, his height adding to his overall image. Hiccups hair was never going to lie flat, but she thought it suited him that way. His face wasn't pockmarked with acne scars like some other boys, and he seemed rather happy as he looked at the crown and puffed out his chest with pride. The suit also fit him well, and combined with a half-decent pair of shoes he was really very good looking. A fitting description for tall, dark and handsome.

"Same to you." She replied.

* * *

><p>After the awards ceremony the students milled around in the atrium of the convention centre that had been hired as the venue for their graduation cum prom. Cameras flashed as proud parents took photos of their children and the men shook hands as the ladies embraced each other. Hiccup handed his graduation certificate to his father as he waited around for the rest of his friends. Friends. It still seemed like an alien word to Hiccup, but he was getting used to it.<p>

"There's an official photographer upstairs too. Before you go into the dining hall." Stoick informed him and Hiccup nodded. He hugged his father, only wishing his mother could be there to see it too, before stepping back and heading off to look for everyone else. He found them at the base of the escalators, already waiting for him, and he hurried to join them on the trip up to the next floor. There names were ticked off an attendance list and the teachers let them through, offering their own congratulations and best wishes for the future. They found the photographer and a line of students, all waiting in their own little groups to get their photos taken. They had some time before they were supposed to move into the dining slash dancing hall, so Fish, the twins, Shane, Astrid and Hiccup all waited in line patiently, drinking in the atmosphere and the satisfaction of finishing school. Astrid noticed that Hiccup appeared to be deep in thought, and she was about to ask him about it when the photographer called their group forward. He took a couple of regular formal photos, all of them standing with their hands clasped in front of them or behind their backs and smiling at the camera. Then he asked if they wanted to do a casual photo.

"Strike a pose, pull a face, do whatever you want." He told them.

"Whatever I want huh?" Hiccup said it so as only Astrid could hear him and as she turned to look at him he bent down and appeared to be fiddling with his pant leg. "Nobody move." He called, and his friends and the photographer looked at him in curiosity. He was still fiddling with something, but then he straightened up and flicked his leg, something clattering out of the end of his pants, which he quickly picked up.

"Ready?" He asked the photographer, who motioned for him to continue. "Here Tuff, hold this for me." With that Hiccup threw his prosthetic at Tuff, who stood at the end of their group, separated from Hiccup by Fish and Shane. Tuff's eyes widened in shock and horror as the hunk of metal and plastic flew at him, but he instinctively held out his hands to catch it. Hiccup was laughing, Astrid was beaming at him, and Shane, Fish and the twins were all transfixed at Hiccups removable limb as the camera flashed.

* * *

><p>The same photo was still set as Hiccups screen saver two years later. It showed Hiccup laughing, Astrid doubled over, her hand on his shoulder to support herself as she laughed with him. Ruff, Tuff, Shane and Fishlegs all had identical looks of disbelief as Hiccups prosthetic flew across the picture towards Tuff. Their reactions had been worth removing his leg in public for the first time, it had made the night that little bit better. After they had all recovered enough to talk, Ruff and Tuff had insisted on more photos, posing with Hiccups leg on their shoulders like a rocket launcher, a photo depicting Hiccup pretending to be angry at them as he tried to grab his leg back, one of the twins lying down with Hiccup standing over them like a hunter and his trophy. There was one of all the guys standing together, arms around each others shoulders as they smiled at the camera and Ruff and Astrid had one of just the two of them which showed Ruff carrying Astrid bridal style. That particular photo was Astrids screen saver.<p>

"Hey." She said as she settled down beside Hiccup on the couch in their dorm.

"Hey yourself." He replied, leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek. "How was your lecture?"

"Interesting. Learnt some new stuff, but we got an assignment too." And Hiccup grinned.

"Paleontology and assignments tend to go hand in hand."

"I could say the same about your veterinary science." Astrid retorted, but she was smiling at him.

"Ah well, we knew that when we enrolled." Hiccup shrugged and returned his attention back to his computer, Astrid peering over at his screen.

"That was a good night." She murmured as she let her head rest on his shoulder.

"It was."

"Their reactions were great."

"I was hoping for something like that." Hiccup admitted.

"You always were a bit of a shock artist." Since that night Astrid had casually suggested that Hiccup accompany her on her travels for a bit. She hadn't expected him to say yes, and she certainly hadn't expected him to ask her to be his girlfriend one day when they were stuck in a foreign airport after their flight had been delayed by bad weather. They'd spent six months travelling, staying in cheap motels to save money and for the experience. They'd both come down with food poisoning in India and that had been a definite low point in their trip, but for the most part the memories were good ones. Once they'd got back they had enrolled at the local college, their grades had made it relatively simple and thanks to some government initiative to keep students staying around instead of moving interstate, they had both been offered scholarships at the college which took care of a quarter of their tuition fees. Astrid was just heading into her second year of Paleontology, she had decided that the travel opportunities that came with the eventual job were too good to resist. Hiccup was also coming into his second year, but he'd decided to follow his mother and become a vet, and he had plans to specialise in disabled animals for his postgraduate work, and if the opportunity came up for Astrid to go to Africa on a dig, it'd be good experience for Hiccup to go along and see how they ran their animal reserves in another country. He'd just have to be careful of the big cats. Not that he was scared of cats. Toothless, now fully grown, sat on the back of the lounge, as close as he could get to wrapping himself around Hiccups neck like he used to do as a kitten.

"You know the twins are working on that Christmas fireworks display?" Astrid asked.

"I wonder if they managed to mix that big boomer and the thirty shot yet." Hiccup mused.

"I think it was a big _banger _and a fifty shot."

"That's why they're the pyros and I'm the college student."

"Fishlegs is graduating next year." Astrid reminded him. Since Fishlegs had started college immediately the year after finishing high school, he was six months ahead of them both, meaning he only had half a year left in his teaching degree.

"Not going to be the same without him." Hiccup said sadly.

"Is Shane supposed to be playing tonight?" Shane meanwhile, had continued with his love affair with the gym, but he had also been picked up by a state football team and was now in his first year as a professional player and Astrid and Hiccup made a point of watching his games when they were on the TV. Although they still weren't sure why his jersey didn't say _Snot_.

"No I think this week is a bi."

"Hm. Then there's nothing to do tonight."

"Could always make out." Hiccup suggested innocently, and Astrid took her head of his shoulder to look at him. He certainly wasn't the socially inept teenager he used to be.

"Your flirting game is not as strong as your sarcasm."

"It was only a suggestion." He said, but his view of the laptop screen was cut off as Astrid swung her leg over his lap and straddled him.

"I never said it was a bad suggestion." She smirked.

_Fin_

* * *

><p><strong>There we go, another fic done and dusted. I'm pretty happy with this. I didn't put as much thought or detail into it as <em>Yet Another College AU, <em>but for some reason I think I prefer this one. Most of my fics are based on my own IRL experiences, and the graduation scene was fun to write. I had similar photos except I was in a sling, having broken my collarbone a week beforehand, which my friends already knew about, so no shock treatment there. Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoyed what I wrote._  
><em>**

_**P.S At the moment I have no plans to do a sequel to Yet Another College AU. I know, I said I was thinking about it, but my experiences end there. I haven't made it to national or the worlds personally and I don't want to do any discredit to the story, which was the first real one I put effort into. That might change after Christmas/New Year, because I'm actually going away to race at a New Years meet (sound familiar?) but for now, there is no planned sequel.**_


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